


(more than just a) summer fling

by zsunsetz



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Dan Howell and Phil Lester Are Teenagers, Day At The Beach, M/M, Summer, Summer Fling, Teenagers, actor!dan, beach, beach au, model!phil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 17:41:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21201545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zsunsetz/pseuds/zsunsetz
Summary: dan howell absolutely despises the beach. but maybe a model called phil lester can help him out with that.





	(more than just a) summer fling

**Author's Note:**

> ahuigfh i actually wrote this ages ago but i forgot to post it for the bingo so uh here it is i guess??  
enjoy!
> 
> bingo prompt: summer fling

If there was one thing Dan knew for certain, it was that he  _ hated _ the beach.

Sure, it may seem kind of ironic because his family literally lived in a beach house, but he despised everything about the beach. He hated the sand, the saltwater, the traffic that would pile up for kilometres outside his home,  _ everything. _

He was not alone in this. His family also hated the beach. In fact, when his mother woke them all up one morning and announced that they were heading the beach, Dan almost burst out into laughter. The idea of his family going to the beach in summer was ridiculous and unfathomable Dan thought it was a joke at first, until he looked at his mum's expression. He was even more shocked when he saw his father nodding along. His father for one was extremely cynical against the commercialism and the crowded nature of their local beach in the hot weather and his mother would constantly complain about the overrated nature of the beach which would cause traffic, little to no parking and the loud parties which meant no one could sleep through the night. He doubted his little brother Adrian had even gone to the beach with his family in his life. The last time Dan remembered going was when he was six, when he threw up in the sea because he swallowed too much seawater, something his family will  _ never  _ let him live down. Dan shook his head to get rid of the embarrassing flashback and he snapped back to the present.

"We're doing what?" Adrian asked incredulously.

"Don't pretend you didn't hear me, Adrian. We're going to the beach." their mother replied.

"But why?" Dan questioned.

"And...and what?" Adrian added.

Their father slammed his newspaper down. "Your mother is right. You two boys have hardly been outside for the entirety of this summer, playing video games and scrolling through social media and whatnot. You need a bit of fresh air."

Dan and Adrian both groaned. Dan desperately did not want to go to the beach. The beach really did have everything he hated. The texture of the sand made him uncomfortable, the sea brought back bad memories and the people were abnormally too loud and happy. Plus, he would be forced to dress in skimpy clothes which made him feel way too exposed when his normal fashion choice was a black hoodie and a pair of black jeans. Call him emo, but he did not want to go to the beach.

Unfortunately, both brothers had no choice in the matter. After eating breakfast, their mother and father forced them to get ready and by afternoon they were both awkwardly standing in the beach, mats and sunscreen in hand.

“I bags the blue mat.” Adrian demanded. Dan shrugged and gave it to him.

“I don’t really care.” Dan replied, whipping out his sunglasses with plans to catch up on some missed sleep that afternoon. That plan was immediately foiled by his father.

“Get off the mat, Daniel, and give it to your mother.” his father yelled from the parking lot. 

And that was how Dan ended up sitting down on some rocks near the end of the beach, contemplating life and existence.

He could see Adrian in the distance, playing ball with his friends, having a particular sort of happiness about him that made Dan almost envious. His parents were merely tiny dots in the horizon, lost among the other spots and speckles amongst the beach. Dan sighed, lost in his melodramatic and existential thoughts.

“Sorry sir, I’m afraid that you have to move slightly. You are just in our picture.”

Dan looked to see the voice and saw that it was a man with headphones and a shirt that said “CREW”. He realised that there was a whole photoshoot happening to his right which he didn’t even notice.  _ Oops. _

“Uh, of course. Move to my left?” Dan asked awkwardly.

The man nodded. “Yas, thank you sir. My deepest apologies.”

Dan opened his mouth to reply, but the man already went off to attend the photoshoot. He could see him gesturing the model to climb on the rocks. Interested in this endeavour now, Dan turned to watch.

The model truly was stunning, there was no doubt about that. His pale, snow-white skin pleasantly contrasted with his jet black hair styled up in a quiff. Blue eyes almost blended in with the horizon and the sky, pupils seemingly perceiving something in the far distance.

Yas, there was no doubt this model was beautiful. If Dan saw this photo in the shops, he would definitely be looking at the man more than he would be admiring the brown trench coat he was advertising for. 

Dan was definitely staring now, but he almost didn’t notice. He was now lost in the sea of blue, his wonderful ocean eyes, his time and place had been forgotten. That was until the model turned his face to inspect Dan, confused and intrigued.

_ Fuck, wank, fuck. What do I do now? _

Panicking internally, Dan turned and winked at the guy.  _ Oh god, what have I done now?  _ The model turned a pleasant shade of pink and faced away from Dan.

To avoid any more awkward encounters, Dan took out his book and began to read. His eyes could not stay on the book, and he had that unstoppable urge to look at the model. He quickly glanced up from his novel, seeing that the model was staring at him. It was now Dan’s turn to blush, fully turning away from the photoshoot now.

Minutes, hours and some sort of time might have passed, but Dan was unsure, too lost in his own thoughts to have a perception of time. The next thing he knew, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Dan turned around, thinking it was his mum or dad, but suddenly made eye contact with the model from earlier. 

He was out of his trench coat now, dressed in more casual clothes. However, he was just as good-looking, his denim shorts bringing out the blue in his eyes.

Dan could see up close that his eyes were a mixture of blue, green and yellow, somehow making the person more attractive. The guy grinned at him, making Dan swoon.

“I saw you staring at me earlier.” he said. Dan raised his eyebrows.

“You too.” Dan pointed out. The model laughed.

“Touché. Hey, how’s about we go out for lunch?” he asked.

“Moving quickly, are we...” Dan’s voice trailed off as he realised he didn’t know his name. The model chuckled.

“Lester. Phil Lester. And you are?” 

“Dan Howell. Look, Lester, not going to lie, you are hot and all -“

“You think I’m hot?” Phil interrupted. Dan rolled his eyes.

“Look, the thing is, I do don’t normally go off with random boys I meet on the beach.” Dan said.

“There’s always a first.” Phil pointed out. 

Dan sighed. “No.”

“Please? I might even give you a free kiss.” Phil said.

"A free kiss? That is an unmissable deal." Dan said, shaking his head while fighting back a smile.

"Isn't it?" Phil said, winking.

“Well, I guess I’m going to have to take you to court for abduction.” Dan replied, taking Phil’s hand to so he could get up on the pavement.

Phil grinned. "At least I have experience in looking good for the mugshot," he quipped back. Dan smirked.

"So, model boy, any plans for where you want to go?" Dan asked. Phil shrugged.

"How does fish and chips sound?" Phil replied.

"Sounds great."

On the way to the fish and chips restaurant, Dan learnt three things. Firstly, Phil was only seventeen despite looking a lot older and more mature which Phil immediately took offense at. The second thing he learnt is that he was from Britain and that he came all the way to America just to get a photoshoot done.

"I'm from Britain too. I moved here when I was ten, but the accent still stayed." Dan said.

"It's good to meet a fellow Brit from all the way across the seas."

"Well, it is the land of the free."

The third thing he learnt was that Phil wanted to keep his model career for as long as he can, and then use that status to get into his dream job as a weatherman.

"A weatherman? Why?" Dan asked, bewildered with Phil's dream.

"Weathermans are cool!" Phil said defensively. Dan rolled his eyes.

"Sure they are, Lester." Dan replied. Phil continued to protest until they reached the fish and chips store, where they managed to secure the last seat at the very back.

"Well, I've talked all about me, Howell. What's to learn about you?" Phil asked. Dan shrugged.

"Nothing much really. I'm pretty uninteresting." Dan said. Phil leaned closer to Dan. Dan's heartbeat quickened. He could see every detail of Phil's face now, from his light freckles to the shape of his lips.

"You're pretty cute for an uninteresting person." Phil said, gazing into Dan's eyes. Dan immediately went red and looked away, ignoring Phil's smug face.

To Dan's relief, the waiter quickly came by to take their order. Being an intelligent man, Dan tactfully used this opportunity to change the uncomfortable way the conversation was going.

"So...Mr Lester...what made you want to become a model anyway?" Dan asked, running a hand through his hair. Phil squirmed in his seat.

"Don't call me...that. That's my dad's name." Phil said after a long pause.

Dan smirked. "I thought you wanted to be a weatherman."

"They're not addressed like that!" Phil protested.

"The question at hand?" Dan said, raising his eyebrow. Phil shrugged.

"I had been modelling since I was young, I guess. My mother would always make me and my brother Martyn go for these photoshoots just for a bit of fun. Then a clothing brand, Burberry I think, contacted us and invited me to do a collection with them. And the rest is history I guess," Phil replied.

"So from then on you just became a part time model?" Dan asked, intrigued.

Phil sighed heavily. "Sometimes it feels more like a full time job, to be honest." he answered. Dan tilted his head.

"What do you mean?" Dan inquired.

"Modelling takes up a hell lot of my time. I always seem to be at photoshoots, 24/7. Often I find I have to do homework on set in between shoots. I mean, I love modelling but I definitely prioritize school, you know? I don't know." Phil said in a wistful tone. Dan nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I agree. Like - well - obviously it's not, like, a full time job, but I am involved in the local theatre company and half the time -"

"Theatre company. Of course you're a theatre kid." Phil interrupted.

"What?" Dan replied. Phil laughed and shook his head.

"Never mind. Sorry, go on." Phil answered.

"And half the time I'm rehearsing or practicing and the other half of the time I have to do work and assignments and study for tests. It's like I have no free time for myself. And I honestly really enjoy theatre, but it takes up a lot of my time." Dan replied.

"What musical are you doing?" Phil asked.

"Bring it On. There's a lot of dancing, but I'm Randall the DJ so I kind of just stand there and watch everyone do exercise." Dan said. Phil gasped.

"Wait, wait, I know that musical! It's composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, isn't it?" Phil replied.

Dan nodded in response. Phil gasped again.

"I wanna see you do it!" Phil whined. Dan laughed.

"You wouldn't be able to, Lester. It's all the way in March." Dan replied.

"I will fly over here on March and I'll see it myself. Just you wait, Howell."

Dan laughed in the moment, but he felt something inside his stomach swirl. He was having a lot of fun right now - probably more fun that he ever will this entire summer - but in the end he knew this thing he had with Phil would just be a  **summer fling. ** Phil would fly back to England, continue modelling, and then find another person to keep him company. He would be happy there, but Dan felt selfish and wanted him for himself. What was Dan going to do after this? Study more? Rehearse more? Stay sadly single as he watches everyone around him find a significant other? He knew in his heart that Phil would mean more to him then he would ever be to Phil. To Dan, Phil would be his first fling, his first "boyfriend", his first...someone. To Phil, Dan was nothing more than another person to keep him interested.

He would probably forget about Dan by the time they even did the dress rehearsal.

  
  


After ravenously eating their fish and chips, the pair decided to go on a walk on the beach. They made a bit of small talk on the way until Dan decided to drop his darkest secret.

"Phil. I have a confession to make." Dan said.

"What is it?" Phil replied in a hushed tone.

"I don't like the beach." Dan admitted, articulating each consonant to bring more emphasis to his confession. Phil stopped in his tracks and gasped dramatically.

"No." Phil said in disbelief.

"It's true. I don't like the beach, and I never will." Dan replied.

"But - why?" Phil said, lost for words.

"Probably because I still have PTSD from when we did Surf Education by the beach and everyone watched me swim even though I never did any formal training in swimming and I was doing okay until I swallowed saltwater and I choked in it, meaning I had stopped swimming and I kind of drowned and my maths teacher had to save me and then I threw it all up while everyone else was learning how to surf and I stayed home sick for two weeks because I was too mortified to face any of them again and I never made eye contact with my maths teacher ever again." Dan replied. Phil made a face.

"Yikes." Phil replied, "I don't really know what to say."

"Anyway, so I hate the beach."

There was a brief and slightly awkward silence in the air.

"Okay, so you had a traumatic experience. But come on, the beach isn't that bad! The sand is...squishy. And nice. And warm."

"They get in your clothes and you find them in your hair weeks after you went to the beach."

"The view is...pretty."

"Come on man, I live in a beach house. I see the view every day."

"Well, the - wait. You said you live in a beach house and...you hate the beach?"

"Yeah?"

Phil then started laughing. Not just normal laughing - the type of laughing where you can't breathe, where your stomach hurts, where tears start streaming out of years. Phil started doing all the above at once, in the middle of the pavement to the beach. Strangers started giving him and Dan strange looks, but Phil didn't seem to notice. Phil finally started taking deep breaths and stopped his laughter.

"Sorry, I don't know what came over me. It isn't even that funny. It's just...the irony of that. On point." Phil said.

"Yeah, I get that a lot." Dan said.

"How about we make sandcastles?" Phil asked.

"What are we, 5?" Dan snorted.

"Hey! Sandcastles aren't just for children. Let me show you." Phil said, hopping down on the sand. Dan stared at him from the pavement, only watching as Phil encouraged him down. Nothing happened.

Frustrated, Phil took Dan's hand and dragged him down, almost landing headfirst in the sand. Somehow, Dan had only just managed to not fall on the sand and he was now resting in Phil's arms. They briefly made eye contact in the awkward position before Phil hoisted Dan up.

"I did not consent." Dan said as Phil dragged him closer to the ocean.

"Don't worry, you'll appreciate it." Phil said, letting go of Dan's hand to bend down and mold the sand.

Dan sighed and bent down at Phil's eye level. He began to mold some sand. He created a short mound and drew a sad face on it with his finger.

"There's my sandcastle." Dan said, lying down on the beach. Phil lightly slapped his shoulder.

"Make a flag for it at least." Phil said. Sighing, Dan sat up and looked around for the nearest stick. He groaned.

"But the sticks and leaves are all the way over there." Dan whinged. It was now Phil's turn to sigh.

"I'll come with you." Phil said, standing up to follow Dan.

"Wow, not going to lie, those flowers are pretty pretty." Dan said. Phil glanced at them.

"Oh, they're the  camissonia cheiranthifolia cheiranthifolia." Phil said. Dan gave him a funny look.

"What?" Dan said, amazed and confused.

"Or the Beach Evening Primrose, as it is more commonly known." Phil clarified.

"How the hell do you know that?" Dan asked. Phil shrugged.

"I have an appreciation for botany." Phil said. "I grow a lot of plants at home."

"What is that one, then?" Dan questioned, pointing at the reddish purple flowers on the left. Phil squinted.

"I believe that is abronia maritima, or the sand verbana." Phil said. Dan looked at him in wonder.

"You know what? I'm not gonna even." Dan said.

After deciding on what flowers, leaves and sticks they wanted for the sandcastles, and after Phil flexed more of his knowledge of flora, they walked to where the sandcastles once were.

"No, they were destroyed by the sea!" Phil exclaimed.

"It's fine, we can make new ones." Dan said. Phil looked back at Dan with a wide smile.

"What?" Dan asked. Phil shook his head.

"Never mind." Phil laughed. "Anyway, I have an idea. We'll do a competition for the best sandcastle. Loser owes winner a something?"

Dan thought about it. "So a Dan vs Phil?"

"Pretty much," Phil responded, shrugging. Dan smirked.

"You're going down, Lester," Dan said.

"Am not!" Phil protested. "Just you wait."

And so the made sandcastles till sundown, both concentrating on their creation, adding shells, flowers, sticks, leaves and all kinds of things. It was a wholesome moment, filled with a childlike playful innocence. At one point Dan decided to throw a sandball at Phil and they ended up having a sandball fight for a solid five minutes before they were both choking on sand and decided to stop.

"I think I'm done." Phil said decidedly.

"Me too." Dan admitted. "Woah!"

Phil's sandcastle consisted of many different castles within a circular gate. It was large and impressive, a huge fortress that towered over Dan’s minimalists mansion. Shells and plants were all over it, used for decoration, and even the water from the sea was utilised to create a moat. Dan whistled impressively.

"Alright, I concede. You win. I owe you a something." Dan sighed, pouting. Phil laughed at the look on Dan's face.

"It's fine, I'll get you a coke.  _ Then  _ you owe me something." Phil said with a wink. Dan felt his entire face flush red.

"Yeah, yeah." Dan muttered, attempting to hide his warm face from the attractive model. Phil grabbed Dan's hand and pulled it across the beach.

"Come on, beach house boy. Brighten up, we can't all be winners." Phil teased. Dan rolled his eyes fondly.

"Stop flexing and get me a coke." Dan whined.

After a long wait in the queue, the two tall teenagers sat on the empty side of the beach, watching the stars and listening to the party from afar. The dark sky blanketed the beach, the lonely moonlight illuminating Phil's fair face. He watched Phil grin and turn to him, his heart beating faster and faster with every second.

"You know, you still owe me something." Phil mused distractedly, gazing off into the dark sea.

"I guess." Dan replied quietly, the right words trapped in his dry mouth. He quickly glanced at Phil, only to find him looking right back at him. 

“What do you want to owe me?” Phil whispered. Dan shrugged.

“Whatever you want, I guess.”

A split second passed in time, and suddenly they were kissing under the night sky, cold ocean water brushing their feet. As milliseconds passed, Dan slowly felt his heart begin to calm and their heartbeats were soon in sync, comforted by the other's presence.

“Today’s been a good day. I want this again. I want all of this again.” Phil said.

“Me too,” Dan replied. “I think I just want you.”

Phil blushed and smiled quietly at Dan’s compliment. Not breaking eye contact, Dan took Phil’s hand in his.

"I really like you." Dan murmured quietly.

Phil smiled softly. "I really like you too.”

Maybe they would be more than just a summer fling.

**Author's Note:**

> [reblog on tumblr!](https://under-the-blue-sun.tumblr.com/post/188635080607/more-than-just-a-summer-fling)


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